Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands

By Jen Wilkin

New from the Best-Selling Author of Women of the Word
Christianity isn't about following rules, it's about a relationship. The rise in popularity of this phrase coincides with a growing disinterest and misunderstanding regarding the role of God's life-giving, perfect law in the Christian life. Rather than the source of joy it was intended to be, the law is viewed as an angry god's restrictions for a rebellious people.
In Ten Words to Live By, Jen Wilkin presents a fresh biblical look at the Ten Commandments, showing how they come to bear on our lives today as we seek to love God and others, to live in joyful freedom, and to long for that future day when God will be rightly worshiped for eternity. Learn to see the law of God as a feast for your famished soul, open to anyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Crossway Books
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781433566370

Jen Wilkin

Jen Wilkin is a Bible teacher from Dallas, Texas. As an advocate for biblical literacy, she has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts and authored multiple books, including the best seller Women of the Word. You can find her at JenWilkin.net. 

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In this short book, Jen Wilkin takes the reader through the Ten Commandments with her characteristic depth, wisdom, and clarity. Whether you have studied the Bible for decades or it is brand new to you, this book will help you to understand what these ancient words mean for you today. This book makes me covet Jen Wilkin’s amazing gifts of writing and teaching while giving me the tools to combat the coveting. Don’t steal this book, but get it any other way you can, and you’ll be glad you did.

Russell Moore, President, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

Jen Wilkin leads us to look at the Ten Commandments anew—welcoming obedience from a place of love and delight for the Lord, rather than fear and dread. For the believer set free in Christ, this is a reminder that the good news produces good fruit.

Ruth Chou Simons, Wall Street Journal best-selling author, Beholding and Becoming and GraceLaced; artist; Founder, GraceLaced Co.

"In Ten Words to Live By, Jen Wilkin does what she does best: taking Scripture and making it plain; taking theology and revealing its everyday, here-and-now practicality. And once again, we remember that God’s ways and his commands are for our good. Once again, we remember that his words are life and health and peace."

Hannah Anderson, author, All That’s Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment

Jen Wilkin has provided a fresh and timely guide through the Ten Commandments. She draws out their significance to those who follow Christ, giving us a mouth-watering vision of what life can look like as we follow the good words of King Jesus.

Sam Allberry, pastor; author, 7 Myths about Singleness and Why Does God Care Who I Sleep With?

I try to read everything Jen Wilkin writes, and this book is another example of why. I found myself informed, challenged, and encouraged, and I think you will too.

Andrew Wilson, Teaching Pastor, King’s Church London

Jen Wilkin has provided a clear, insightful, and accessible explanation of one of the most important sections of Holy Scripture—the Ten Commandments. With ease and verve she helps us understand the heart of God’s laws and how they are given to bring us life. Highly recommended!

Jonathan T. Pennington, Associate Professor of New Testament, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

What I appreciate most about Jen Wilkin is that as she teaches the Bible, she also teaches us how to read the Bible for ourselves. That’s exactly what she does in this book with one of the most important and yet misunderstood parts of Scripture—the Ten Commandments. Far from being cringe-worthy rules from a grumpy God, we learn that God’s commands are beautiful and lifegiving, revealing the pattern of Christlikeness that we can experience by God’s grace. Reading this book will help you not only to know the Ten Commandments but also to love them, delight in them, and ultimately live by them.

Jeremy Treat, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Reality LA, Los Angeles, California; Adjunct Professor of Theology, Biola University; author, Seek First and The Crucified King

"I’ve studied and preached the Ten Commandments over the last thirty years, but Ten Words to Live By helped me to see new truths and consider fresh applications. This book is biblical, thoughtful, and deeply practical. Jen Wilkin masterfully brings the ancient summary of the law to daily life. Regardless of your background with studying the Bible, read this book. You’ll be led to appreciate the Ten Commandments and how much we need them today."

Mark Vroegop, Lead Pastor, College Park Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; author, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy and Weep with Me

Ten Words to Live By

Ten Words to Live By

Delighting in and Doing What God Commands

Jen Wilkin

Ten Words to Live By: Delighting in and Doing What God Commands

Copyright © 2021 by Jen Wilkin

Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover Design: Crystal Courtney

First printing 2021

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible® and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scripture quotations marked KJ21 are from 21st Century King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright © 1996–2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-6634-9

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-6637-0

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-6635-6

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-6636-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Wilkin, Jen, 1969– author.

Title: Ten words to live by : delighting in and doing what God commands / Jen Wilkin.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2021. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020040303 (print) | LCCN 2020040304 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433566349 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433566363 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433566363 (mobi) | ISBN 9781433566370 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Ten commandments—Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Classification: LCC BV4655 .W535 2021 (print) | LCC BV4655 (ebook) | DDC 241.5/2—dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040303

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020040304

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2022-02-18 10:20:28 AM

Contents

The Ten Words

Introduction: Remember to Delight

1  The First Word: Undivided Allegiance

2  The Second Word: Undiminished Worship

3  The Third Word: Untarnished Name

4  The Fourth Word: Unhindered Rest

5  The Fifth Word: Honor Elders

6  The Sixth Word: Honor Life

7  The Seventh Word: Honor Marriage

8  The Eighth Word: Honor Property

9  The Ninth Word: Honor Reputation

10  The Tenth Word: Honor in the Heart

Conclusion: Delight to Remember

General Index

Scripture Index

The Ten Words

Exodus 20:2–17

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

COMMANDMENT 1

"You shall have no other gods before me.

COMMANDMENT 2

"You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

COMMANDMENT 3

"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

COMMANDMENT 4

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

COMMANDMENT 5

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

COMMANDMENT 6

"You shall not murder.

COMMANDMENT 7

"You shall not commit adultery.

COMMANDMENT 8

"You shall not steal.

COMMANDMENT 9

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

COMMANDMENT 10

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Romans 13:8–10

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Introduction

Remember to Delight

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

1 John 5:3

This is a book about the law of God in all of its life-giving beauty. In the church today there exists a great forgetfulness about the role of the law in the life of the believer. This book is an exercise in remembrance.

Far back in the earliest pages of the Old Testament, in Exodus 20 and then again in Deuteronomy 5, an ancient people in a distant land were given the aseret hadevarim, the Ten Words. What the Torah and the rabbis called the Ten Words, you and I know as the Ten Commandments. Given to Moses on Mount Sinai, inscribed on tablets of stone by the very finger of God, these ten laws were intended to serve the Israelites as they left behind pagan Egypt and entered into pagan Canaan. They comprise the moral law of the Old Testament, undergirding its civil and ceremonial laws.

Moses assured those people, the nation of Israel, that obedience to these Ten Words would result in life and blessing:

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deut. 5:32–33 NIV)

The Ten Commandments are perhaps the best-known example of moral law, informing law codes into modern times. Though most people know about the Ten Words, few can actually enumerate them. One well-known survey found that, while Americans struggled to recall the Ten Commandments, they could name the seven ingredients of a Big Mac and all six members of the Brady Bunch with relative ease.¹ In my experience, not many Christians are able to name the